


I know I love you, and you love the sea

by fvckradio



Series: Massachusetts [1]
Category: NCT (Band), 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Non-Famous, Beaches, Drinking, Established Relationship, Implied Relationships, Implied Sexual Content, Late Night Conversations, Late Night Drives, M/M, Making Out, Star Gazing, Summer Love, Summer Vacation, Sunrises, i really dont know how to tag this they drive to a beach to watch the sun rise
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-21
Updated: 2020-06-21
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:34:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,473
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24831691
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fvckradio/pseuds/fvckradio
Summary: “No, no,” Jaehyun reassured, reaching out to put his hand on Jungkook’s arm. He didn’t mind doing things out of his comfort zone when he was with Jungkook. Nice, pretty Jungkook who was looking at him like he was some sort of alien just for saying yes. “What do you want to do, I’ll be fine, I’m serious.”Jungkook hesitated before talking again. “I was thinking we could drive out to the point to catch the sunrise.”“How are we going to waste three more hours?” Jaehyun grins.Jungkook and Jaehyun take a drive to watch the sunrise. Maybe they fall in love along the way.
Relationships: Jeon Jungkook/Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun
Series: Massachusetts [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1796194
Comments: 8
Kudos: 42





	I know I love you, and you love the sea

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this partially as a way to escape my bedroom quarantine and partially to try and feel more connected to the places I love. I don't want to give too much away, but this is pretty much a slice of life more than any sort of real plot or serious introspective relationship. I'm not too sure how well either of them translated into these characters but its fiction so they can be whoever I want them to be.  
> Above all this was inspired by Vampire Weekend, specifically [this song](https://youtu.be/Ca_gWZrDT3E) and [this song](https://youtu.be/aJd5EMB9im0) but it's really more about the vibes.  
> Thank you to my dear friend Tyler who not only told me I should write this but then beta read it.  
> I hope you enjoy it!

_Don't you know that it's insane?_

_Don't you want to get out of Cape Cod?_

_Out of Cape Cod tonight?_

The heat of summer does crazy things to Jaehyun’s mind. Long days in the unrelenting rays of the sun have left him feeling hot, all the time. He supposes that’s what spending twelve hours every day for the past week stretched out on a towel in the sand does to you. Sunburn is the cost of a blissful summer. Relief came in the form of cooling nights. The moon and the sea breeze bring a much-needed lull to their sun-soaked skin. They built bonfires on the beach and laid out under the stars until they had to go home. Temperatures dropped quickly by the ocean at night. Jaehyun was still hot.

Jaehyun finds himself sitting beside the fire, despite his burning skin. He doesn’t know everyone here, but that doesn’t really matter either. He barely knows everyone staying in the cottage he’s staying in. Water drips down the side of his hand from the beer bottle he’s holding and it feels like heaven as it slides down his wrist. His jeans are rolled up just past his ankles and he knows his sneakers are filled with sand, but Jaehyun is content. Some shitty pop song he can’t be bothered to pay attention to is playing on the speaker next to the cooler and he can hear the crash of the waves on the shore over the sound of laughter and conversation. The crappy beach chair is digging into his side, but his friends have long since dispersed throughout the crowd, and Jaehyun really doesn’t mind. He watches as a few new people walk down to the sandy shore to join the party. 

He doesn’t recognize them, but he can see Jungkook greeting them over the heads of everyone in between them. He pulls each of them into a hug, and he keeps his arm around the last one as he talks animatedly to the guy standing next to him. It makes him happy to see Jungkook enjoying himself and his summer. Jungkook deserves this. Jungkook is happy and that makes Jaehyun happy. He doesn’t realize he’s smiling until Jungkook looks over and smiles and Jaehyun realizes he is actually smiling back. He could get used to this. 

His face is still hot as Jungkook turns away from him and back to the people he was talking to. He throws his head back when he laughs and Jaehhyun thinks he looks the most beautiful when he’s happy. He wears happiness so well, blissful and with a full smile. The heat on his face stings when he widens his smile, but Jaehyun would tolerate a hundred sunburns just to watch Jungkook laugh. 

He finishes his beer and rather than getting up to put the empty bottle in the bin someone brought, he sticks it in the sand next to him. He’ll throw it away later, right now he is too tired to move out of the awful beach chair he’s been in since they got here. His skin stings with the heat of the fire and the heat of the burns on his skin. Jungkook will say it’s his own fault, but Jaehyun will blame Jungkook for both letting him fall asleep and not waking him up to put on more sunscreen. They will jokingly argue about it in the morning when Jaehyun wakes up to burning skin and whines about not wanting to go out to the beach again. Jungkook’s friends will roll their eyes at them and Jaehyun will give in when Jungkook promises to sit in the shade with him. (He won’t; Jaehyun doesn’t mind.) He wishes this could be their life forever, just the two of them and the beach. 

The sand sticks to his hands as he runs them over the ground next to him. His bones ache but he feels like he could fall asleep right here. He considers closing his eyes but he knows he’ll fall asleep so he concentrates on the stars instead. He doesn’t know the constellations, so he just counts them off one by one. He’s just found what he thinks is a planet when he feels a hand on his arm. He rolls his head to the side to see Jungkook standing next to him. 

“Hi,” he says quietly. A smile creeps over him, as Jungkook runs his fingers through his hair. 

“Hey,” Jungkook smiles as he replies, “how are you doing?” 

There is a soda can in the hand that isn’t on his head and his sunglasses are hanging off the front of his shirt. From his spot in the chair, he has to crane his neck to look at him, but he doesn’t mind. He leans in to the other’s touch, familiar and cool against his skin. He closes his eyes for a second, just to feel Jungkook’s fingertips brush against his forehead. 

“Me?” he asks, opening his eyes again. His voice is gravely from unuse and for a second it flashes through his mind that he doesn’t know how long he’s been sitting here. He doesn’t want to look away from Jungkook so he doesn’t check. He smiles instead. “I’m fine, I’m good. How are you? Are you having a good time?” 

“Yeah”—Jungkook’s smile is so pretty, he thinks as he listens to him talk—“Eunwoo just got here, I don’t know if you saw him, so I was talking to him for a while. Did you know he graduated this year?” 

Jaehyun hums in response, closing his eyes as Jungkook keeps dragging his fingers through his hair. He was comfortable like this, listening to Jungkook talk. 

“He says he’s got a job lined up in the city already, so it’s really nice that he came out and saw us all. He’s staying until Tuesday, then he has to go move into his new apartment,” Jungkook says, running his fingertips across Jaehyun’s cheek. “Hey, Namjoon said he’s staying home tomorrow to do some work, you should stay too. Give your skin some rest.” 

Jaehyun frowns. “I like being with you,” he mumbles, leaning his head further into his touch. He doesn’t even care if he was whining. “It’ll be fine, just stay in the shade with me.” 

“Okay, baby,” Jungkook laughs. “How’re you doing, you wanna get out of here?” 

“You’re having fun,” he frowns again, shaking his head. “I’m fine, I’m just sitting here.” 

“It’s two in the morning, Jaehyun,” he says, letting out another chuckle. “We don’t have to go back, we can go somewhere else. You’ve been sitting in that chair for hours, that can’t be comfortable.” 

“It’s two?” Jaehyun asks, sitting up and finally opening his eyes to look at Jungkook again. 

“Yeah, almost two-thirty,” Jungkook nods. 

“Oh,” he says, laying his head back against the chair. 

Jungkook put his hand back on his head. Jaehyun winces as he remembers how hot his skin is, the heat radiating off of him. The chair is digging into his side and now his neck is craned in an awful direction. His body was beginning to ache and he was wondering how he ever thought he could fall asleep like this. 

“Yeah, oh,” Jungkook says. “You want to get up now?” 

“But all your friends are still here,” Jaehyun whines into his hand. “I’m a big boy, I can handle it.” 

“They’re all leaving soon too,” he says calmly. “Let me just say goodbye to some people and we can go, okay? Stay here, since you’re so comfortable, big guy.” 

Before Jaehyun could respond, he was off to talk to a group on the other side of the bonfire. He watches as Jungkook makes his way around the fire and into the largest group remaining on the beach. It was starting to hit him that it was really that late. The crowd had died down to only a few small groups huddled together, and the fire was almost out now. He stretches his arms over his head until he feels the tension leave his back. After feeling it pop, he rubs his eyes and stretches out his legs. He looks up again to see Jungkook making his way back over to him. Reaching to his side, he realizes that the beer bottle was gone, taken by either Jungkook or someone else while Jaehyun had been distracted. 

“Everyone said bye, and they were glad you could come,” Jungkook starts, holding out his hand for him to grab. He pulls him up and steadies him as Jaehyun stumbles. “C’mon, let’s get you to the car.” 

Jaehyun follows him away from the fizzling fire and into the cool night. They wave at the last of the stragglers, including Jungkook’s friend Hoseok who was lighting a blunt by the parking lot. Jaehyun smiled when he waved back, while Jungkook fumbled with his keys. He stumbles his way to the passenger’s side of the pickup, patiently waiting for Jungkook to open the door for him. Jaehyun always made fun of the way Jungkook opened the door for him from the inside, rather than just unlocking it and letting him open it for himself, but in the haze of heat and alcohol and exhaustion, it made him a little giddy, standing, waiting for the door to swing open. 

“So,” Jaehyun huffs, slamming the car door. He gives a sheepish smile, turning to face Jungkook, after clicking in his seatbelt. 

“Please don’t break my car,” Jungkook responds, facing Jaehyun as well. Jaehyun thinks he looks really pretty in the moonlight. 

“I didn’t do it on purpose,” he finds himself whining, trying to make Jungkook smile. He does. When Jaehyun looks over again he has his hands on the wheel and the cutest little grin on his face. 

“Alright big guy,” Jungkook says sarcastically. 

“It’s already broken anyway,” he mumbles, sinking down into his seat. He changes the topic before Jungkook can respond, “What are you proposing we do at”—he yawns—“two forty in the”—he yawns again—” morning?” 

“If you’re tired we can just go back and sleep,” he says, worry seeping into his voice. 

“No, no,” Jaehyun reassures, reaching out to put his hand on Jungkook’s arm. He didn’t mind doing things out of his comfort zone when he was with Jungkook. Nice, pretty Jungkook who was looking at him like he was some sort of alien just for saying yes. “What do you want to do, I’ll be fine, I’m serious.” 

Jungkook hesitates before talking again. “I was thinking we could drive out to the point to catch the sunrise.” 

“How are we going to waste three more hours?” Jaehyun grins. Jungkook seems to relax at that. He was starting to wonder if he could blame his recklessness on the heat if it was two in the morning. His skin still feels like it’s on fire, but in the moonlight, it’s hard to separate his blush from his burn, and Jaehyun has never been more grateful for darkness when with Jungkook.

“I guess we’ll have to figure that out for ourselves.” Jungkook winks, he goddamn winks as he turned the ignition. 

Jaehyun balks as he put the car in drive. Astounded, he exclaims, “Are you kidnapping me right now, Jeon?” 

Jungkook just laughs. His right arm lay draped over the steering wheel and his left sat on the window. He doesn’t turn his attention back to Jaehyun as he pulls out of the parking spot and maneuvers out of the lot. His eyes stay facing straight ahead but Jaehyun’s stare didn’t relent as his eyes bore into the side of Jungkook’s face. He had an easy smile on his face, illuminated by the lighthouse behind him. Jaehyun thinks he looked otherworldly. 

“It’s not kidnapping if I let you pick the music,” Jungkook says coyly as he turns onto the road. Jaehyun continued to stare, mouth gaping in astonishment before grabbing his crappy AUX cord. 

“I’m gonna play the stuff you don’t like,” Jaehyun grumbles, scrolling through his Spotify playlists. His finger hovers over the trashy pop playlist Johnny had made him before scrolling back to a playlist carefully titled _jk._ Jungkook was laughing again and pulling down the dark road as the soft sounds of Frank Ocean floated through the truck. Slumping down in his seat, Jaehyun let his head fall to the side, lulled to the left to watch Jungkook in the driver’s seat. He was singing along under his breath, fingers tapping against the steering wheel. Jaehyun’s face felt hot despite the cool air blowing out of the vents. He wonders if his face looked as red as it feels, but he doesn’t want to pull down the visor to check. Jungkook’s high beams cut through the deep darkness of the back roads on a summer night and as they drove away from the beach and towards the highway. The stillness of the beach town fascinated Jaehyun; how could a place be so awake during the day yet so asleep at night. The only sounds as they made their way down the pitch-black road was the soft sounds of their radio and the wheels against the concrete. If Jaehyun were any more awake, he’d be worried about the romance of it all, but he’s reached the delusional part of tired and he’s willing to take what he can get. They could get lost in the winding back roads of the seaside, but Jaehyun has grown accustomed to the sleepy life they had been living. He loved the long, drawn-out days splayed out in the sand and sun, as much as his skin despised it. He can just make out Jungkook’s form in the seat beside him, the only light coming from the high beams of his truck and every so often the moon when its glow breaks through the trees. The darkness breaks up ahead and as they slow to a stop at the end of the road, Jungkook looks over again. 

“I was thinking we could stop at a couple of beaches along the way and look at the stars,” he proposes, his voice deep with the night. When Jaehyun hesitates he continues, “Or we could just drive up now and stay there for a couple of hours.” 

“Yeah,” Jaehyun whispers. “Yeah, let’s do that. We can stop at beaches. That cool one with the cliff you told me about.” 

Jungkook smiles as he turns back to face the road. He looks so cool under the street lamps they were now under, just briefly at the intersection. They pull onto the empty highway, and Jungkook reaches out to turn up the stereo. Light bounced off his eyes, making them look like they were sparkling. 

“You can take a picture,” Jungkook says suddenly, as his right hand returns to the steering wheel. “It’ll last longer.” 

“Shut up,” Jaehyun whines, embarrassed. If he wasn’t already sunk down as far as he could in his seat before, he definitely was now, with his shoulders by his ears. He mumbles, “a photo won’t do you justice.” 

“What was that?” he says playfully, smirk taking over his face. 

“You heard me,” Jaehyun grumbles again. He rolls his eyes as they pass by an empty mini-golf course. 

“No, I didn’t what did you say,” Jungkook was laughing now, wind rippling through his hair. He looks like something straight out of a movie. 

Jaehyun sighs, exasperated, “I said a photo won’t do it justice. Now stop embarrassing me because you know I think you’re hot. I’m tired. ” 

“Oh,” and it was Jungkook’s turn to blush. His charismatic smirk from teasing Jaehyun broke into a soft smile. As they pass under the streetlamp Jaehyun just makes out the faint pink blush on his cheeks. Still not looking away from the road, he changes the topic, “you can take a nap if you want, I’ll wake you up when we get there.” 

“No, I want to keep you company,” Jaehyun answers, shaking his head even though he can’t see him. “Can’t have you taking me to some sort of abandoned house in the middle of nowhere to kill me or something.” 

Jungkook laughs loudly at that and whatever strangeness was about to settle over them dissipates with his laughter. Jaehyun chuckles to himself and turns his head to face out the window. The buildings are undefined and dark as they drive down Route 6. When he first experienced the pitch-black night of streets without street lamps, it gave him the heebie-jeebies, but now just past three am in Jungkook’s old Ford truck, he thinks he gets the appeal. The dark and the quiet aren’t as scary as they are peaceful. As the houses and trees blur together along the side of the highway, Jaehyun feels himself feeling lost in it. He could live like this forever. 

It wasn’t much longer before they were pulling off the highway and onto another dark road. The trees blocked out the moonlight and Jungkook slowed down as they drive down the neighborhood street. A few houses have a front porch light, a somber call to a safe haven, or maybe, a warning. Most, however, were hidden behind bushes and fences and trees. They travel slowly down the winding roads, only the quiet sounds of the radio between them. Something was falling over them again. This time, Jaehyun is afraid to break it. 

The lot they pull into is small and empty. It reminds Jaehyun more of the lot of a house than a beach, but what did he know about beaches. Jungkook pulls into a spot where the concrete meets the sand and the lights of his high beams reach out into the nothingness. 

“This is the beach with the cliff. We can stay in the car if you’d like,” Jungkook says, shifting the gear into park. “If we get out we just have to be careful not to fall.” 

Jaehyun nods, mesmerized by the way the light stretches into empty space. If he squints hard he can just make out the shoreline below them. He slowly unclicks his seatbelt as Jungkook turns off the car and they are plunged into darkness. Pulling his phone out of his pocket, he opens the car door and steps into the night. Immediately his ears are filled with the sound of crashing waves. His phone read 3:15 as he fumbles to turn on his flashlight. He stumbles over a step but he steadies himself as his feet sunk into the sand. His eyes are wide as he slowly walks forward, step by step, called to the sea. He feels himself step forward before a hand catches on his waist. 

“Careful,” Jungkook whispers, gently touching his side. “Big drop.” 

“Can we get down there?” Jaehyun whispers back. The quiet is heavy and delicate almost like if they spoke too loud they would shatter it. 

“We could, but I think we should just stay up here,” his quiet voice flowing over Jaehyun like a wave. He nods and looks up at the sky. 

“I think these are the most stars I’ve ever seen in my life,” he whispers. Jungkook’s hands are still on his waist and the air is a mix of the salty ocean and the clean scent of Jungkook’s perfume. 

“Here,” Jungkook says, pulling Jaehyun’s body down to the sand. “Lay down, I’ll see if I remember the constellations.” 

Jaehyun lays his head down in the sand, not caring that it would make his scalp itch later on. Jungkook’s hand was wrapped around his wrist and he was staring intensely at the sky above them. They were so close Jaehyun wonders if he can feel the heat on his skin as much as Jaehyun could. 

“Look, do you see that star there?” Jungkook’s whisper dances through the silence. “That’s the north star, which means that there’s the big dipper. Can you see it?” 

Jaehyun nods, following the direction of Jungkook’s point. He watches as his finger traces the stars in the sky in the outline of a box and handle. 

“And if you follow it,” his soft voice mixes with the quiet. “Little dipper.” 

“Wow,” Jaehyun awes. “Show me more.” 

“If you look up more, you can see a line of three,” he says, lifting his arm to point above the dippers. “That’s Orion’s belt I think. And if you look over, do you see where the sky looks like, hazy? I’m pretty sure that’s the Milky Way.” 

“Like the galaxy?” Jaehyun’s shocked voice is almost silent. 

“Yeah,” Jungkook says, turning his head in the sand to look at him. “Cool right?” 

“Yeah,” Jaehyun replies, looking at Jungkook. “You’ve got sand in your hair.” 

“You do too, big guy,” Jungkook says, reaching out to run his fingers through Jaehyun’s hair. He shivers as his cool hands run over his cold scalp. Jaehyun realizes he is on fire, both Jungkook’s freezing fingertips and the cooled sand doing everything and nothing to soothe him. He reaches out for Jungkook, pulling him closer. 

“You got a,” he brushes the other boy's bangs out of his face. His hand lingers, resting on the side of his head, cradling him. He can feel his breath on his face. His voice is gravelly and coarse, “A little sand, right there. Gone now.” 

“You going to kiss me, Jeong?” he asks, whispering so quietly it could barely be made out over the sound of the waves crashing. He let out a short laugh before leaning in again, closing the distance between them. The waves keep crashing against the shore and Jaehyun can’t stop thinking _this is it_ , chanting in his mind like a mantra. They sink into each other and the sand like they were meant to be there, this had been what they were building up to. Jaehyun imagines that his mouth still tastes like the cheap beer he’d been drinking earlier, but Jungkook tastes like sweet soda and Carmex. His lips are soft and so is his hair and his skin and in the cool sand of this tiny beach, they are kissing like it was breathing. 

They break apart with a breathy laugh and hands tangled in hair. Jaehyun can see the shiny warmth of Jungkook’s eyes, illuminated by the moonlight. As his eyes adjust again he thinks he looked even prettier debauched. Jaehyun leans in again, pulling him in for another kiss. Jungkook kisses back with just as much fervor, taking his hands out of his hair and touching Jaehyun’s waist. He melts into his touch, feathering his own fingers through the other’s hair. The t-shirt he is wearing hiked up, exposing his hot skin. Cold fingertips make him shiver and he giggles against Jungkook’s lips. Pulling each other closer, closer, it feels like time is frozen or maybe speeding up. They exist in their own world, just the two of them and the slow crashing of the waves. 

“You have sand in your hair again,” he giggles, pulling away from the kiss again. The sultry look falls right off of Jungkook’s face as he collapses into giggles. 

“You do too,” Jungkook finally replies, still fighting off the end of the giggle fit. His hands are still holding Jaehyun’s waist, fingers circling his hot skin. “That’s what happens when you make out in the sand.” 

“Yeah well don’t act like you didn’t start this,” he says, the smile from his giggling lingering. Whatever had been in the air when they arrived was gone now, the fragile barrier dissolved by their laughter. Jaehyun loved moments like this when they could take down any masks and just be comfortable with themselves. He brushes some of the sand out of the other’s hair, “You’re so goofy.” 

Now that the bubble had burst, Jungkook burst into laughter. His hair brushes the sand again as he throws his head back. Jaehyun joins in laughing too, head falling forward to hit the other’s chest. He wonders if it is possible to be even closer than they already are, tangled together at their ankles and arms. Jungkook laughs again before he starts talking, “You aren’t allowed to call me goofy! Like the dog? Like from Mickey Mouse? I’m not Goofy!” 

At this, they break into another fit of laughter. Wrapped up in each other on the sand, Jaehyun feels giddy, like he is on a sugar high. They lay there for a while, exchanging kisses and jokes, poking fun and each other, sharing jeers and jabs. It’s the most at peace, the closest to normal Jaehyun has felt for the whole trip. After what seems like ages, they fall back into silence. Jungkook tracing patterns on his skin, Jaehyun running his fingers through his hair. Their ankles are still locked together, skin on skin on sand. They lay there for a while, just two boys in their own little world. 

“Hey,” Jungkook whispers, breaking the silence again. It isn’t heavy this time, just comforting.

“I’m itchy,” he replies, rolling slightly out of the other’s hold. There is sand sliding down the back of his neck, into his t-shirt, and all the way down his spine. 

“C’mon, let’s go back to the car,” he says, pulling himself out of their tangle. He stands above Jaehyun, arms stretching above his head as he tries to shake the sand off of his clothes. Finally, he reaches down, pulling Jaehyun up for the second time that evening. He reaches out to brush the sand off his back. Jaehyun shivers under his fingertips as he knocks off the sand. Jungkook interlaces their fingers as he drags him back to the parking lot. Back in the truck, Jaehyun takes the AUX again, as Jungkook starts the car. The clock blinks 4:30 as the truck’s headlights once again illuminate the empty beach. Their footprints can just barely be made out, the disturbance they made rolling around hardly noticeable among the sand.

“Hey,” Jungkook interrupts, tearing Jaehyun away from his concentration. “What was that playlist you were playing earlier?” 

He freezes, hand half-way extended to turning up the stereo as Jungkook starts reversing out of the parking spot. Jaehyun hesitates. “Just some driving playlist,” he says, finally reaching the volume. He nervously asks, “did you like it?” 

“Yeah, it’s really good,” the other says, turning back around to shift the car into drive. “I hadn’t seen anything like it on your Spotify playlists so I was just curious if it was one of those pre-made playlists or something.” 

“Oh,” he says softly. “Yeah it’s just, uh, private.” 

“Share it with me, if that’s okay,” he hums casually. His left hand is on the wheel this time. His right hand reaches for Jaehyun’s thigh. “Seems like my vibe.” 

Jaehyun looks down at his phone, the playlist staring right back up at him. As a Vampire Weekend song begins, he smiles to himself. _A conversation for later._ Jungkook’s hand is still on his thigh as they pull out of the lot and back onto the winding backroads. It is calm as they drive into the dark, road lit only by high beams. He lays his head back against the headrest and looks at Jungkook. Staring at his side profile, he wonders if it could get better than this. 

He really didn’t think he had closed his eyes for that long, but when he opens them again, he had a crick in his neck. He can see the edge of the coast to the left of them and the dunes to the right. 

“Hey, sleepy,” Jungkook jokes when he noticed him moving. Reaching his arms over his head, he groans. “How long has it been?” he croaks, still stretching. 

“Not long, less than half an hour probably,” the other replies, looking over at him. “We’re almost there.” 

Jaehyun nods, rubbing his eyes. It doesn’t surprise him that he fell asleep, but that didn’t change the fact that he feels guilty. He’s glad that Jungkook hadn’t just turned around and brought him home, but he supposes they had made it this far. The town is just beyond the other side of the highway, a single bell tower standing over the quiet streets. It is much quieter than when they had driven up to town for dinner a few days ago. Jaehyun smiles as they pass the Route 6 sign, 3,205 miles to the other side. As they approach the end, they turn. The empty road leading them to the beach is scarily empty. Driving into the dunes was weird during the day, but even weirder at night, and yet he still feels captured by it. The sky is clearer here. It is just starting to get lighter as they pull into the lot. Surprisingly, they aren’t the only car in the lot, a single hatchback sitting a few spots away. There are a few bikes chained to the bike rack as well. A sandy path leads them down to the beach, where there are a couple of individual photographers hanging around, and much farther down the beach, a couple with surfboards. They stay quiet as they make their way down the beach, finding an empty sandy spot to stake their claim. Once again, they sit directly in the sand, but Jaehyun doesn’t mind as he interlaces their fingers and leans his head against the other’s shoulder. 

Watching the sunrise always takes less time than Jaehyun expects. One moment he’s looking into the black night and the next a fully formed sun is overtaking the horizon. Yellows and blues take over the sky, filling the beach with bright light. The clouds look almost purple as the haze of early morning finally starts to set in. Waves crash against the shore and the two surfers point at the sky out in the water. He pulls away from his spot on Jungkook’s shoulder for a moment, just to look at him again. As serene as he looked under the moonlight, he glows with the morning sun. Sunkissed is the only way he can describe the way he brightens. From this angle, the sun creates a halo over his head. _This is where he belongs_. Jaehyun thinks, watching the other take in the glimmering light. 

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it,” Jungkook’s voice cuts through the quiet. “I wish I could live every day like this.” 

“You’d be exhausted,” Jaehyun says quietly. Jungkook laughs and Jaehyun lets himself smile. “But I think I could too, spend every day like this. The beaches are beautiful.” 

Jungkook turns to look at him. He smiles before replying, “You’re what makes it special though.” 

“Oh,” he says, looking directly into Jungkook’s eyes. “I- oh.” 

“Don’t act so surprised, Jaehyun,” he laughs, turning to face the sun. “You do look cute though.” 

“Shut up,” he nervously stutters. “You’re embarrassing me.” 

“Good.” 

Quiet fell over them again and Jaehyun lets himself face the sun head-on. Tiredness is beginning to hit him and the warmth of the sun does little to comfort his burnt skin. Still, he leans back on his hands and watches as the light takes over the almost empty beach. The waves crashing in the background and the calming presence of Jungkook to his side ground him while they sit together on the beach. It’s like time was slowing to a halt, suspended for as long as they want to be there, uninterrupted. Back at the rental cottage, there was a whole gaggle of other boys to deal with and surround themselves with, but here on the beach, it is just Jaehyun and Jungkook, Jungkook and Jaehyun, for as long as they want it. 

“Thank you for coming with me,” Jungkook interrupts again. 

“Of course, silly,” Jaehyun says, his voice slurring with exhaustion. “I’d go anywhere with you.” 

“That’s pretty gay, big guy,” Jungkook jests. “C’mon, let’s get you to bed. It’s past your bedtime.” 

“I’m a big boy,” he slurs again, grabbing onto Jungkook’s hands as he pulls him up again. “Okay, maybe I am tired.” 

“We can skip the beach today. We deserve some rest.” Jungkook comforts, laughing again. 

“Mmm,” Jaehyun sighs, leaning into him as they walk back across the beach. “You should buy me brunch when we wake up.” 

“Whatever you want, Jaehyun.”

“And then we can go to the beach,” he mumbles. “You look pretty at the beach. We can sleep there.” 

“Whatever you want.” 

Standing there in the parking lot of this beach at nearly six in the morning, Jaehyun is happy. Jungkook glows under the early morning rays, and despite his exhaustion, he feels on top of the world. As Jungkook fumbles for his keys again, Jaehyun pulls him into a careful kiss. He laughs as Jungkook complains about needing to get out his keys. He can get used to this, he wants to get used to this. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading!


End file.
